Animals are being tortured for beauty products

Animal testing for cosmetics

It is estimated that 100,000-200,000 animals suffer and die for cosmetics every year around the world. Animals tested for cosmetics are rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats and mice. Dogs and monkeys are not used to test cosmetics, but they are used to test other types of chemicals.

The EU animal testing ban doesn’t guarantee that the cosmetics are cruelty-free

Animal testing for cosmetics is banned in India, the European Union (EU), Israel, Norway and New Zealand. As of 2013 it’s illegal in the EU to sell new cosmetic products or their ingredients that have been tested on animals. The ban also applies to imports from countries outside the EU. However, the monitoring of the law is problematic as no authority actually checks that the cosmetics entering EU territory have not been tested on animals. Also, many cosmetic products contain pharmaceutical ingredients that have been tested on animals, and these cosmetics can be marketed and sold in the EU. Household cleaning products are still tested on animals in the EU. The best way to know whether a product has been tested on animals or not is to check out the databases of cruelty-free products and companies at the end of this page.

Non-Chinese cosmetics are tested on animals in China

All non-Chinese cosmetics are subject to mandatory animal testing before they can be marketed in China. Cosmetics companies that are ”cruelty-free” on Western markets have to change their policy when entering the Chinese markets. Companies like these, such as Avon, Estée Lauder and Revlon, have consequently been removed from PETA's list of cruelty-free companies.

Animal testing for cosmetics is unethical and unnecessary

Animal testing for cosmetics is still allowed in 80% of the countries in the world. To subject animals to extremely painful tests for cosmetics is not just unethical, but it’s also unnecessary. There are thousands of ingredients for cosmetics that are already known to be safe and that can be used when developing new cosmetics. There are also dozens of non-animal tests that are valuable, quicker and more accurate at predicting human reactions to a product than animal tests can ever be.

Animals are poisoned, burned and blinded for cosmetics tests

During the Draize eye-test, rabbits are immobilized in full-body restraints while a substance is dripped into their eyes. Rabbits often scream in pain and many break their necks trying to get free. The rabbits have sensitive eyes with only little tear fluid, so the test substances stay in their eyes for long. The substances can cause burning pain, inflammation, or even corrosion. The test results are monitored up to seven days. In skin-irritation tests conducted on guinea pigs the substance is rubbed onto the animals’ shaved and sometimes scratched skin or, alternatively, the substance is injected. The lab animals are kept in small, barren cages where they cannot fulfil any of their behavioural and social needs.

Animal testing for Botox

Botulinum toxin, best known by the name Botox, is used to prevent development of wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles. Despite the EU ban on the use of animals for cosmetic testing, Botox is tested on animals because it is licensed for medical use, and it is a product that is injected and not applied to the skin (the definition of a cosmetic). In the LD50 (Lethal Dose) poisoning test mice are injected in the abdomen with different dosages of botulinum toxin in order to find the dose which kills half the animals. The test involves horrific suffering for the animals who suffocate slowly through muscle paralysis while fully conscious.